When they got close, the people split apart, forming a half-circle around them with the portal still at Leo and Vinnie’s backs. Their buoyant expressions seemed to indicate a desire for a good view of the proceedings rather than an objective of boxing them in.
Their older counterparts and the two men holding the oversized fur bundles dropped their burdens. The older man who’d been ferried out was gently let down to stand.
Older Vinnie kept walking toward the portal, followed by another young man Leo hadn’t noticed before, but should have. Because although the other man was dressed similarly to the rest, albeit with the addition of a messenger bag-style leather pouch crossing his torso, his facial features and light hair looked nothing like the indigenous population.
Leo’s eyes widened,
